Open Social Ceremony and Celebration

[Astrid al-Bahir]

Astrid hadn't winked back at Altair as he danced and caught her eye, possibly because Dram had been sitting in front of her gathering his thoughts, but her tail had unwound and moved in a slow wave, tip flicking toward the end before settling in her lap. And, clearly, she was paying attention as she drank her sulfur-spiked brandy. (@Altair Din)

She nodded acquiescence to using first names with Dram, given the circumstances. Knifetip ears angled surreptitiously to better catch the human man's words over the thrumming of music and general shenanigans happening somewhere behind him. The subject, the action he spoke of, was serious. She took it seriously.

When he was done, Astrid blinked. Amethyst glanced down at the machine limb that went all the way up to her shoulder, replacing part of even that shattered flesh and bone. She looked back across the table at the General. "It's only an arm. I received another," Astrid said, dismissing his concern as easily as sweeping aside dust from the table.

And yet, after a moment passed, she leaned slightly forward across the table. Perhaps it was the stimmed drinks- she'd gone through a whole glass waiting on Max- but she had more to say.

"I believe in the dream that is the Empire, Max. I believe its Knights must use what they've been given as shield and spear." She stopped to take a drink from her refilled glass of brandy before continuing on, eyes firmly meeting the General's own.

"I acted. There was no reason."

@Alhon @Sreeya

 

[Cipher Six]

Six smiled at his question - he wore confidence on his sleeve. She had to wonder what truly churned underneath, what triggered him, what secrets he had, what battles he fought, what demons he faced and which of those were of his own making. Six let him sweat on the question briefly as she sipped from her drink, eyeing him over the rim of her glass.

“I’m wary of other Ciphers, you know,” She reminded him, “Get into missions, things get sticky, don’t want…complications,” Six said, shrugging vaguely.

“But… if you still want to roll the dice, then sure, I’ll say yes to dinner,” Six said at last, clinking her glass against his.

@Zay

 

[Altair Din]

Altair heard her struggling to put the shirt on, and he pointedly kept gazing at the stars. He wasn’t about to turn around and come face to face with a wardrobe malfunction, “Are you done yet?!” He asked impatiently, turning only when her shuffling was finished. Altair burst out laughing the moment he saw her - his shirt sagged down almost to her knees and looked ridiculous. He was too busy laughing at her to notice whatever bullshit she saw in the distance.

The tiefling looked around, skeptical that there was anything out there at all. However, he was vaguely reminded of his best friend Cairo and all the dipshit ideas he had. The two were constantly up to shenanigans that got them into all kinds of trouble. Altair smiled faintly at those fond memories, yanked back to reality by her absurd choices, “The shots you were just bitchin’ about?” He quipped.

Without a word, Altair looked down and hopped up on the railing with a surprising amount of grace. He was still drunk but not as hopeless as prior to vomiting. He called the Force to himself and leaped down to a ledge below to make his way down. Altair looked up towards the balcony, “You comin’?” He called out. He hoped her version of a jump wouldn’t be a bellyflop right into duracrete.

@LadyRen

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn had gone back to just being the wallflower he preferred to be, finding himself another non-alcoholic drink (which took longer than he'd like), spending some time in the bathroom texting to get away from people, and now returned to the party again.

He didn't see Altair and he wasn't going to bother Six again so soon, particularly as she looked to be engaged in a conversation with someone else, so instead he made his way over to the bar and ordered himself another drink before turning to the man who had come over on the dance floor earlier.

I don't think we've met. I'm Varyn, he said, extending a hand to the other man in greeting. The man had a couple of inches on Varyn, and he could tell just by looking at him that he had that aura of someone who could handle themselves. Those who were in their line of work just had a way about them that they stood or carried themselves or looked around a room. It was difficult to miss if you knew what you were looking for because they instincts that were almost impossible to turn off. They were instincts that kept you alive. The lack of a military uniform told Varyn he was likely someone in the ISB if he had to guess.

@Orbit

 

[Cipher 7]

Seven’s eyes flicked to her fanged smile and crimson lips. He found himself fighting that damn smirk that always tried to show up when she was around and covered it with a sip of his drink.

Say one thing for Cipher Seven, say he had a hell of a Subacc face. Even though his heart felt like it would stop any minute as she, purposefully if he had to guess, delayed answering his expression never changed.

His eyes held hers as she eyed him over the rim of her glass. Levik’s question emerging from the shadowy recesses of his mind…

Six finally spoke.

Seven considered her words and scoffed at how dead on she was, he tipped back the rest of his whisky.

Six agreed. Then clinked his glass. The smallest perceivable version of shock would coalesce in the upward twitch of his left eyebrow.

“Guess we should go now before one of us get cold feet,” he replied, his hand finding it’s way into hers while that damn smile won the fight and spread across his face.

@Sreeya

 

[Cipher Five]

Five left the dancefloor generally unscathed as he gave Seven his opportunity with Six. After nearly being taken out, the idea of entering back onto the main floor appealed less to him, and he angled toward the bar. Stepping out from the masses of people, he found both Knight Al-Bashir and General Dram seated together, the heroes of the assault on Dathomir and one the recipient of the honor presented today. Having arrived late to the ceremony, the least he could do was offer his respects, and he made his way over to the pair.

"Excuse me, Knight Al-Bashir, General Dram," Five greeted them as he stood at the end of the table, his hands tucked within his pants pockets. His outfit and appearance returned to their immaculate state despite what transpired on the floor. "Unfortunately, I missed the ceremony," he admitted truthfully before continuing, "but I'd still like to thank you two for what you've done. The Empire will be forever grateful.”His cool green gaze then swung over to Astrid, leveling upon her as he complimented her, "Especially you, Knight Al-Bashir; we're lucky to have your skills among us. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten." They came from completely different worlds; his was made of shadows, but he still respected what the Knights stood for and achieved constantly. She stood as a proud and rightful example of what the best of them looked like.

Five would lift his gaze to the bar before raising a hand as well, catching the bartender's attention. He motioned to himself and then to the two, placing their next round of drinks on his tab as the man prepared them. "Please enjoy the next drink," he stated sincerely before bringing his piercing orbs back to Astrid to add, his gaze lingering slightly, "On me." Not bothering to introduce himself, as he had no intention to stay and interrupt, he gave them both a respectful nod before departing and heading to the counter.

The agent gave the bartender a jut of his chin and ordered one of his favorites, "Mitcher's, double, on the rocks." Five always appreciated the burn from the bourbon and sought that comfort right then. After he took his first sip, he heard someone speak to him and turned to find Varyn from before. "Lord Commander," he replied, still using his respectful title as he offered a firm handshake back to him. "It's nice to actually meet you. Name's Hunter." As far as he was concerned, that was his actual name. Being nearly the perfect specimen for the ISB, groomed nearly since childhood, his real name practically meant nothing anymore and was forever buried deep in secrecy.

Five glanced toward the floor, then back to Varyn, remarking on his absence, "You missed the excitement. Nearly all the high-ranking officials were taken out."

@Mr. Teatime @Alhon @Phoenix

 

[Guinevere Delevigne]

The excitement of the dance floor was not something she'd soon forget, but in the meantime she was happy to linger with Jon. She certainly had considered pulling him into the circle for this particular one, but given its subject and sensitivity, and the others involved, Guin had been keeping the cards close to her chest. "Of course, I will let you know if something comes up."

Taking a sip of her drink, the agent quickly did a scan of the room without finding their mutual. With a grin, she recalled at least spotting her once. "Nope, last I saw she was dancing with the Grand Marshal, but knowing her she's probably looking for vege snacks or something." Kali always seemed to have a knack for it.

"Ooh, send it to me, for my Galaxygram, naturally." The agent hurriedly scrolled through her social feeds while he did so, tagging so-and-so in a couple of clever memes. Recalling back to what Jon had said earlier, she looked up from her phone. "Wait, so what were you doin' before this anyway?" Guin was quite happily in her own little bubble right now.

@Raydo @LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

The shimmery thing surely kept her mesmerized for a little while until Altair actually decided to go for it. Her smirk immediately widened, excited about the idea of going to investigate, but at the same time still immensely tipsy. Climbing off a balcony? Probably a great idea.

She narrowed her eyes, memorizing the sparkling mysterious object's position before she started stuffing all the extra fabric into her pants. It wouldn't get in their way so much this way, and she couldn't help but to chuckle as he started to climb down. "Be carefullll" she slurred, waiting for him to drop down until she swung one leg over herself.

She searched for the object, however the shifted angle resulted in an immediate loss of the reflection. "Damn it" she muttered under her breath, climbing over with the second leg, however immediate losing her balance and plopping down backwards.

The wind was knocked out of her lungs as she stared at the starry sky from the balcony, not moving for a few seconds. She then pushed herself back into a seated position, utterly perplex. "Altair?". It then dawned her and she rushed to the railing, peering down.

The object! Right, that was it. "I see it again!! It's just a few steps to your right. I'll guide you from above and then I'll come down!" she called down, her eye widened in excitement. Despite the blurry vision, she clearly saw it again now, tightly gripping the railing as she slowly swayed from left to right.

@Sreeya

 

[Jonathen Baize]

He nodded. He understood how it was; there were some things you just kept in-house. The sentiment remained, though.

He raised a bit of an eyebrow at Guin's next comment. By now, he had scanned the room pretty thoroughly and hadn't seen a sign of her. It was possible something came up; they all had work that could pull them away at a moment's notice. It was something he was used to, and you didn't keep relationships long in this life without a healthy amount of trust.

"Yeah, on it." he said, tapping away at his phone and sending it to her. "The Galaxy should see it!" he pushed her along. "Hrm?" he asked, glancing back towards her. "Just got caught up with work late.." he answered. It wasn't super truthful, but it was a white enough lie.

He finished off his drink before setting the empty glass down on the bar. "Its a shame this isn't the scene for beer pong. We could have finally had that rematch..." he said, letting out a chuckle as he looked back towards her. "Though it would be a shame to beat you after such a glorious display..." he admitted with a shrug.

@Xorism

 

[Cipher Six]

Six chuckled at his words, not drawing away as his hand found hers, “Don’t be ridiculous, darling, the night is young and I haven’t even said hello to everybody,” She smiled at him. He would learn real quick she operated on her own schedule and she definitely came here to do a bit of partying. Instead of him leading her away from the event, she instead tugged him along towards other social scenarios. She walked past the dance floor for now even though it looked relatively safe. (@Zay)

She released 7 shortly before arriving at her destination - where Astrid (@Mr. Teatime )was seated. Six offered a fanged smile to where it would be impossible to tell how much she actually did not trust Force users, “An honor to meet the woman of the hour,” She said, extending her hand to shake Astrid’s. The eyes made her wonder if the woman was related to the Grand Marshal - amethyst eyes weren’t common, “I’m Ava Durst,” She introduced herself.

Her gaze flicked over to Max (@Alhon), who looked as refined and dignified as usual. She was happier to see him back from Dathomir than she would admit aloud. There was a genuine smile on her face, “Evening, General. Good to see you again,” She said.

 

[Altair Din]

It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Altair watched her first swing one leg over the railing, flail around like a newborn, and then completely fail to get the second leg totally over. She plopped down like a sack of turnips and he burst out laughing, doubling over at the sight. Altair called out to her, “Quit gettin' my shirt dirty!” He said, far more concerned about his dress shirt than anything else.

She emerged again and said something about guiding from above. Altair scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest, “Hell no, I ain’t runnin’ no fetch quest while you direct from above,” He stated flatly. Altair didn’t even see what this object was and he wasn’t about to let her terrible directions get him lost.

Unless she attempted to come down again, the tiefling would spring back up and vault himself over the railing and back onto the balcony.

@LadyRen

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn took the hand and returned the firm shake before he grabbed his drink again and took a sip.

Good to meet you, Hunter, he said. Although he was tempted to inquire about the man's profession, he decided it was probably best not to. More polite that way.

He looked around the room and noted what Hunter pointed out. There didn't seem to be any more members of the council here, and Varyn had made his exit earlier.

They'll be back... maybe, he said with a snicker. You going to pull the Cinderella, too? he asked, wondering if the man was going to disappear at any moment as well. The party was still going strong, it seemed, but they would fade out one at a time. Probably? Actually, he didn't know because he usually left long before that time himself.

@Orbit

 

[Cipher Five]

"The party never dies, does it?" Five asked amusingly, more so for him as the lifestyle mimicked that of a Cipher. There would always be a new party and a new hero to celebrate. Within a split second, he assumed the role of Hunter with ease as he leaned back comfortably against the counter. When questioned if he planned on pulling a Cinderella, a deep chuckle escaped from him before he replied, "No, I don't believe I'm pretty enough to warrant that. There are only so many opportunities I get to come to events like these." Whether he was Five or Hunter, that would be true regardless.

In actuality, this was one of the rare opportunities where Five could be in similar company. His assignments tended to take him solo to the worst corners of the galaxy and planets, ones where Imperial authority held little weight or was directly spat on. He intended to savor his dose of civilization as much as he could.

While Five may have been shrouded in both obscene amounts of secrecy and red tape, that even Varyn couldn't reach, their circumstances differed from each other. "And what about you? What does the renowned Lord Commander have planned next? More insurmountable conquests?" He asked the Knight, genuine curiosity laced within his voice as he moved past the party. Having heard both the Order in general and the Lord Commander's skills and victories, he wondered what he believed the future held for them.

@Phoenix

 

[Merian Sere]

Put on the spot, Merian suddenly had to seriously consider whether this woeful night warranted drinking, for real, for the first time. Couldn’t she push down the gloom the way she’d always done? Her eyes swept the bar. So crowded, familiar faces and not.

“Tarisian ale,” she gave up, trying not to think about the man who’d introduced her to it. Just one was enough to knock out an inexperienced drinker, and Merian without a doubt belonged to that category.

It wasn’t that she had anything against the enthusiastic teen, or the pilot—or the Lord Commander or Knight-Captain Demici, for that matter. But she’d never been the social type, and Botajef had broken something in her.

“Excuse the indiscretion, but you have to be a squire, right?” she addressed Rhia, waiting for her order. “I haven’t seen you around. As for you, well...” she added for Kellan. “Let’s just say I’m glad we’re in better circumstances.”

@Xorism @Tic

 

[Cipher 7]

Seven’s eyebrow quirked when she wanted to stay. He was getting Bespin vibes all over again, and not the good ones… but she tugged on his hand and he reluctantly followed. That quip she’d made about knowing his value was fucking him up a little as they made their way toward The Hero of the hour and Dram. He’d feel this out a bit longer, but he'd had enough small talk for the day.

Seven effortlessly prepped a mask and slipped it on as Six let go of his hand. She introduced herself under an alias, and he followed suit, “Knight al-Bahir,” he said with a polite nod, “You truly are a shining light in the darkness,” he directed his attention to Dram, “General, it’s an honor, I can clearly see where the nickname “Daddy Dram” comes from.” he said with a quirk of his brow.

“I’m Sven Drassk,” he bobbed his head, “I’m terribly sorry, Ava’s decided to subject you to my presence,” he said with a charming grin.

Nothing better than being called into work during a work party.

@Sreeya @Mr. Teatime @Alhon

 

[Max Dram]

Astrid seemed rather unmoved by the whole affair at first. Only an arm. Max himself had lost an arm and the experience had struck him to his core. He had emerged stronger, but to lose a part of your original self was no small thing In his experience. Was the Knight so wedded to duty and service that she really was not phased by her loss?

”Another one indeed“ Max mused “new arms is a lucrative business in this Empire of ours”.

She did not look like the type to laugh, but in any case they were distracted by the arrival of a dark-haired man at the end of the table. He was unknown to Max, like so many tonight, but he seemed to know exactly who they were and sounded sincere enough in his support of them. Max thanked him with a grateful smile and nod of the head, tilting a glass in his direction when the newcomer was kind enough to buy them both a drink.

Word had certainly spread of the events of Dathomir. Perhaps Astrid’s actions would have even more impact on others than they had already had on Max. There was certainly real conviction in her voice as she spoke of their Empire and the role of the Knights in it. She seemed to see no distinction between them and the ordinary rank and file, which was refreshing and jarring in equal measure. In the old regime, Max had never met a Sith who would lay down to save the life of a soldier. The fact Astrid seemed to think it needed no explanation spoke volumes.

“Well thank you for acting” he said finally. He of all people should recognise duty alone could be reason enough. It was just strange to encounter in someone other than himself.

He was saved from his reverie by Six. She glided into his peripherals in her elegant black number, shaking Astrid’s hand and flawlessly flaunting some new cover. Max was immediately buoyed by her presence. “and you…” he began, raising his glass with a smirk, but trailing off at the sight and sound of her companion.

The young man looked like he’d had a few, with a bounce in his gait and a mischievous look on his face. He either had balls of steel or a death wish to make the Daddy Dram remark, but that one was already beyond Max‘s ability to curtail. In any case, tonight was a party.

“I have subjected Knight Al-Bashir to mine for too long” he said, rising to his feet. “Why don’t you two show me what I’ve been missing?”

@Mr. Teatime @Sreeya @Zay @Orbit

 

[Kalique Baize]

So the Grand Marshall was even more concerned about his shirt then about one of his loyal Knight-Captains...if she had been any less drunk, maybe she would have reacted to that, this way, she was completely oblivious to the implication.

Altair immediately started complaining and she let out a loud sigh. "What do you mean? Like it's the easiest way! But fine. If we don't find it down there, it's your fault". She then took a deep breath and tried the railing again, this time not losing her balance preemptively and actually managed to keep it together for a moment.

She hopped down as skillfully and gracefully as she would have if she had been fully sober, somehow managing to gather the Force and aiding her descent before she landed on her feet. "So let's find the treasure!" she said nonchalantly before she headed to the bushes, emerald eyes narrowed and despite the blurry vision, carefully scanning the area.

"Hmm...where...oh wait!" again, she perceived a shimmering reflection in the corner of her left eye and immediately turnt, reaching in between the branches and suddenly brushing against some kind of metal with her fingers. "Here!".

She carefully grabbed the object and as she pulled the closed hand out, she was pretty sure they had just discovered something absolutely special, but as she opened her hand, there was nothing but a little shard of broken, iridescent shard of glass. "Oh...weird. Do you have any idea what this is?!".

@Sreeya

 

[Astrid al-Bahir]

Dram spoke up again and while the half-Tiefling didn't laugh, she did smile in a dry, amused sort of way. Might as well be a laugh. "Can't have soldiers without arms," she replied. Whether it was a joke or not was up to Dram to figure out. "You're welcome, Max. Rest assured I'll continue to do so." She rose a toast in his direction and took a drink.


Others kept coming up to introduce themselves to the Medal of Honor recipient. Most of them well-dressed and generally good-looking. Hmm.

Astrid politely bowed her head to the first one who hadn't introduced himself (@Cipher Five). "Thank you. I appreciate that; it was a worthy one," she replied with her usual confident humility. "And thank you again for the drink." Her lips formed a momentary smirk, tail waving lazily behind her.

Next was a woman smiling wide with razor fangs below cold blue eyes. (@Cipher Six) Astrid shook the proffered hand firmly with her machine arm, dipping her head. One of the half-Tiefling's eyebrows rose slightly at the woman's classically Firrerreon smile. "Astrid al-Bahir. It's my pleasure, Ms. Durst," she replied. Her tail waved slightly, tailtip flicking behind her like a cat's.

A third showed up- male again- and this time the greeting resulted in the threat of a smile. Someone knew the meaning of her name. "Smooth, Mr. Drassk," she answered, dipping her horned head. "I'm sure we'll survive, somehow." (@Cipher 7) The 'Daddy Dram' comment caused her to silently blink twice with bemusement. She had no idea where that'd come from, but his reaction was amusing.

She had little idea who or what these people were, precisely, but that really wasn't her business anyway. Whether they were genuine or just being polite Imperial folk, she appreciated them being here and saying hello. "You didn't impose, Max. It was a good talk," she commented toward Dram. It was. Meaningful, but to the point.

Knight al-Bahir stood from her seat the moment Dram indicated he was done with their talk. A brief survey of the room indicated the Grand Marshal wasn't around for his earlier dance offer. Astrid wasn't inclined to wait for his reappearance if he'd busied himself elsewhere. Instead, amethyst eyes settled on Ava, the one with the fanged smile.

"Before you vanish into the crowd, I'd like a dance. Interested?" (@Cipher Six)

@Alhon @Sreeya @Orbit @Zay

 

[Altair Din]

Altair stared in wonder as she somehow gracefully made her way down despite eating shit just moments prior. Once she landed, he blinked in surprise, “How did you do that?” He asked, genuinely shocked. Was she faking being drunk? No way, it had to be dumb luck. Altair wasn’t looking forward to how she was going to get back up - that was going to take hours.

The tiefling stared at the shard of glass, shrugging, “Looks like trash to me,” He remarked helpfully. Altair grabbed the shard of glass and looked through it, catching what looked like coordinates. He handed it back to Kalique, “Looks like a map to go somewhere, but you’re bad luck so let’s just bury it,” The tiefling said with a nod. He hadn’t been on a single quest with Kalique that didn’t have a bizarre outcome.

@LadyRen

 

[Guinevere Delevigne]

Tapping away at her phone for a little bit longer before she saw the notification from Jon. She'd take a look at it later, putting the phone back in her pocket and taking a long-drawn-out sip from her glass. "Excuse me? We had you beat right up until the last second, it was practically a tie." She grinned. "But I'll take that re-match any time."

Some of the very best and brightest that the empire had to offer were attending this party, from the humble squire to the lord commander and grand marshal themselves and everyone in between. Guin couldn't help but feel a broad sense of pride in both the work that she herself had been doing, but the empire itself.

"Alright, party game." She'd direct the question to Jon but wasn't opposed to anyone else joining in. "Priorities, rank them in order of what you would prioritize, then you give me a list." At first, it wouldn't hurt to be a little light-hearted. "Doubling your alcohol tolerance, always waking up fully rested, or having luck on your side."

@Raydo